Spirited Away
Hayao Miyazakihas been guide and animating films for ten , and each one of his motion picture has receive nearly universal plaudit . Miyazaki is one of the beginner of Studio Ghibli , a Japanese animation studio that has been raise film since the mid-’80s , and their unbelievable prowess , original stories , and relatable characters put them among the ranking of the best - animated features of all time . As an animator and manager , Miyazaki has a significant role in the initiation of all his movies , and each is deeply emotional and very human , despite many of them having fantastical options and plots .
Miyazaki is good cognise as the director and author of his 11Studio Ghibli movies , none of which has a Rotten Tomatoes grade under 87 % . He has also been nominate three prison term for Best Animated feature of speech at the Academy Awards , winning once . These motion-picture show hold back unique stories with memorable graphic symbol and stage setting that often have one person , usually a young girl , grow up through the trials and challenges of the narrative . Every one of Miyazaki ’s flick is worth discuss at length no matter their ranking , but these are his absolute best .
tie in : The 10 Most Memorable Studio Ghibli Characters Of All Time
11The Castle Of Cagliostro (1979)
The Castle of Cagliostro(a.k.a . Lupin III : The Castle of Cagliostro ) is the first animated feature directed by Hayao Miyazaki . While it was made before the studio ’s creation , it ’s amanga adaptation , like many of Studio Ghibli ’s movies . It focuses on the far-famed thief character Arsène Lupin III , created by Kazuhiko Katō , following him as he pluck a casino and then travels to the country of Cagliostro to rescue its princess from a scheming reckoning . Though it was n’t initially a striking , The Castle of Cagliostrofound succeeder through re - releases , and its rollicking , slap - stick adventure influence can be seen in many American animated films , such asAtlantis : The Lost Empire .
10Ponyo (2008)
After making a number of films for more mature audience , Hayao Miyazaki give with a film for tike . Ponyo , like all his films , still has much for adult , but the stakes are noticeably lower here . The title character is a goldfish - similar tool who desires to become a human . Her relationship with humans , including a young boy diagnose Sōsuke and ( in the English - oral communication dub ) aBetty White - voiced grannie , her huffy and delightful nature , and her clash with her traditional father make for a literal fish - out - of - water movie that ’s delightful and poignant . Miyazaki is famed for his aerial animations , butPonyoshows he is just as masterful at produce H2O prospect .
9Castle In The Sky (1986)
Castle in the Skyis Hayao Miyazaki ’s third picture show and the first produced by Studio Ghibli . It follow a son and a princess as they seek to protect a crystal from pirates and politics agents , who are dented on weaponizing it and the secret city that it ensure . Castle in the Sky ’s narrative involves robot , bury kingdoms , conjuration , and airships , making it one of the first modern steampunk motion-picture show . Its colourful aesthetic and vibrant characters , particularly the pirate gang who go from being villain to allies , make even thealtered English - language interlingual rendition ofCastle in the Skyone of the core fairytale film text , influencing others in the musical style since .
8Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind (1984)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Windis an early lesson of Hayao Miyazaki ’s focus on anti - war and pro - environmental electronic messaging . Nausicaä is the princess of a tribe living on Earth millennia after an apocalyptic war destruct most of human society and depart much of the land an uninhabitable , venomous barren only travelable by mammoth , panoplied insects that survived and be peacefully even as the humans continue to state of war . The film is massive in telescope , and its success avail lead to the ontogeny of Studio Ghibli a year later . Miyazaki is also a gifted manga author , and this is an adaptation of his own comical series of the same name .
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7The Wind Rises (2013)
Hayao Miyazaki has a well - document love of aircraft , aerial technology , and all things having to do with flight . A testimonial to that subject , The Wind Risesis a biographic story of Jiro Horikoshi , an aircraft designer whose planes were used during World War II — which he regret . The Wind Riseswas nominate for Best Animated characteristic at the 2014 Academy Awards and has an 88 % scotch on Rotten Tomatoes . It ’s an incredibly honest look at an inspiring but tragic life . Horikoshi does realize his aspiration of creating beautiful aircraft but how his aim are used in war makes for anemotional ending for the Studio Ghibli movie .
6Porco Rosso (1992)
The title character ofPorco Rossois a misanthropical Italian World War I ace who now vanish around Italy fighting pirates and by and large doing whatever he need . What set him apart from others , however , is that he has been cursed with a copper head through some unexplained mean value . It ’s a mix of swashbuckling dangerous undertaking , distaff authorisation ( with Fio Piccolo the hot-tempered woman mechanic ) , and melancholy sadness with the war that caused everything in the first place . The film has a 95 % score on Rotten Tomatoes thanks in part to its unique looking at at the classic Cuban sandwich story , never paint Porco totally as the ripe guy wire he seems to be .
5Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
ululation ’s Moving Castleis based on the bookof the same name and was deservedly put up for Best Animated Feature at the 76th Academy Awards . The motion-picture show ’s fantastical storytelling can be gainsay , as it sometimes feel like there are two unlike plots extend on , one with Howl as he tries to avoid push in a destructive war , and one with Sophie as she try out to count on out how to transmute from an old lady back into a untested woman after being cursed by a hag . Despite this , the detail of the magical world and the taradiddle arc of Sophie make it one of Hayao Miyazaki ’s most gripping films .
4Princess Mononoke (1997)
Japanese folklore is a major ingredient of many Miyazaki cinema , andPrincess Mononokepairs its mythological characterswith an environmental and anti - war message to make an heroic and often scary tale . In the motion-picture show , Prince Ashitaka die on a journeying to cure himself of a demon ’s swearword , and his travels put him in the middle of a war between an industrial order , boars , speak wolves , and powerful timber spirits . Ashitaka and the wolf - princess San have a well - developed human relationship that tally a amorous and hump ticker to a movie meet with vehemence and danger . Princess Mononokeexamines how the pursuit of exponent even in the name of safety can be destructive .
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3Kiki’s Delivery Service (1988)
Hayao Miyazaki is notable in that many of his celluloid follow distaff protagonists . Kiki ’s Delivery Serviceisanother of Miyazaki ’s feminist worksas it follows a young witch Kiki , who leaves home , as all witches do , to discover a line and start live independently . She run through ups and downs as she settles into her fresh life and has to contend with her powers weaken . It ’s a beautiful celluloid with a perfect setting for the convinced and adventurous Kiki , who loses her confidence and powers and gains them back all on her own .
2My Neighbor Totoro (1989)
My Neighbor Totorois a movie take aim primarily at children , and yet it has some of the most matured and grownup composition out of all of Hayao Miyazaki ’s filmography . Thecast and characters ofMy Neighbor Totoroinclude the Kusakabe family . There ’s the 10 - year - old sis Satsuki , 4 - class - onetime Mei , and their forefather , Tatsuo , who all move into a large , but old , home close to the hospital where their mother is recovering from an illness . In their new home , Mei and Satsuki discover three pointy - eared and downy forest John Barleycorn . The largest of the liquor , Totoro , becomes a friend and source of familiarity during a tough time .
There are no villain inMy NeighborTotoro , and the biggest source of conflict comes when Mei conk out missing and Satsuki and the titular spirit lookup for her . With such modest stakes , the moving picture does n’t seem like it should work , but the young little girl ' kinship with each other and their new life is refreshfully real . The sisters are among the bestfemale persona in Studio Ghibli movies . They fight and cod but at last love each other , and the world through their eyes is simultaneously scarey and awe-inspiring . What it lacks in complexity it more than makes up for in heart . It ’s a quiet and moving film that anyone can love .